AFP to Sara Duterte: Defending WPS is not picking fight with China

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said defending the country’s rights in the West Philippine Sea did not amount to picking a fight with China, following Vice President Sara Duterte’s call for the government to avoid confrontation with Beijing.

AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad (Reserve) said he agreed with Duterte that the Philippines should not antagonize other countries but stressed that asserting its maritime rights was a separate matter.

READ: VP Sara Duterte doubles down on China issues

“Hindi po tayo nakikipag-away sa kahit sino mang bansa sa West Philippine Sea (We are not picking a fight with any country in the West Philippine Sea),” Trinidad said in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

“By merely standing up for what is rightfully and legally ours, we are not fighting any other country,” he added.

Trinidad was responding to Duterte’s remarks during a gathering with overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong on Sunday, where she urged the government to maintain good relations with China despite the maritime dispute.

The vice president warned that deteriorating bilateral ties could threaten the jobs and businesses of Filipinos working in China. She also called for a team of diplomats and negotiators to handle the dispute rather than resorting to confrontations at sea or exchanges on social media.

READ: WPS: Palace laughs off Sara Duterte’s remark on Marcos’ China ‘link’

Duterte further cited the disparity between the two countries’ military capabilities, arguing that the government should consider the consequences of confronting a more powerful neighbor.

Asked about her comparison of the Philippines’ military strength with China’s, Trinidad said the AFP would continue performing its mandate regardless of its capabilities.

“Hindi pinag-uusapan yung lakas ng sandatahan (It is not about military strength). We have what we have. We are improving our capabilities,” he said.

“Given what we have, we are good. Given more, we could perform even better. But it will not stop the AFP from fighting, from standing up, from supporting all our government officials who stand up for our rights in the West Philippine Sea.”

Trinidad also stressed that every Filipino, including elected officials, had a responsibility to defend the country’s national interests.

“The Arbitral Tribunal of 2016 is a legal landmark that upheld the maritime entitlements of the Philippines. Ito ay dapat ibandera ng bawat Pilipino (Every Filipino should champion this),” he said.

The 2016 arbitral ruling invalidated China’s sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea, although Beijing has refused to recognize the decision.

Trinidad maintained that the Philippines had not instigated tensions in the disputed waters, citing China’s construction of artificial islands and its coercive actions against Philippine vessels.

He also ruled out scaling back military activities in the West Philippine Sea to accommodate diplomatic engagement with Beijing.

“Our RoRe (rotation and resupply) will continue, our patrols will continue, our MDAs (maritime domain awareness) will continue, our modernization program will continue,” he said.

Trinidad said diplomacy and defense were separate instruments of government policy, with the Department of Foreign Affairs responsible for diplomatic engagement and the Department of National Defense overseeing security matters. /jpv

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